65 Dead in Capsized Chinese Ship, with More than 370 Missing

Local Editor

Rescuers cut three holes into the overturned hull of a river cruise ship in unsuccessful attempts to find more survivors Thursday as the death toll in the Yangtze River disaster reached 65. More than 370 people remain missing and are feared dead.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said rescuers stabilized the ship with cranes and then cut into sections of the hull, which jutted above the river's gray currents, to check for survivors before welding the sections back to the hull to preserve the ship's buoyancy and balance.

So far, authorities said at least 14 people survived Monday night's sudden capsizing in a severe storm, some by jumping from the ship during the early moments and swimming or drifting ashore. Three of them were pulled by divers from air pockets inside the overturned hull Tuesday after rescuers heard yells for help coming from inside.

Though, the lack of further survivors detected when the hull sections were opened Thursday seemed to show there was no more chance of finding anyone alive in the boat, although Chinese officials have not yet declared the search over at the accident site at the Hubei Province county of Jianli.

Meanwhile, more than 200 divers were working underwater in three shifts to search the ship's cabins one by one, the broadcaster said. Rescuers pulled out 39 drowned passengers Thursday, bringing the toll to 65.

Bodies were being brought to the Jianli's Rongcheng Crematorium, where at least two relatives of passengers arrived Thursday to try to identify loved ones.

Among the crowd observing developments outside the crematorium was farmer Wang Xun, who noted that many of the boats passengers were elderly.

"I can't imagine how terrifying it must have been for them," Wang said. "Old people should be with their families and go peacefully, not like this."

The Eastern Star capsizing would likely become the country's deadliest boat disaster in seven decades, and Chinese authorities had launched a high-profile response that had included sending Premier Li Keqiang to the accident site, while tightly controlling media coverage.

Many of the more than 450 people on board the multi-decked, 251-foot-long [77-meter-long] Eastern Star were reported to be retirees taking in the scenic vistas of the Yangtze on a cruise from Nanjing to the southwestern city of Chongqing.

The survivors included the ship's captain and chief engineer, both of whom had been taken into police custody.

Some relatives had questioned whether the captain should have brought the ship ashore at the first signs of a storm, and whether everything possible was done to ensure the safety of the passengers after the accident. They had demanded help from officials in Nanjing and Shanghai in unruly scenes that have drawn a heavy police response.

Further, records from a maritime agency show the capsized ship was cited for safety violations two years ago. Authorities in Nanjing held the ship and five other Yangtze cruise vessels after it found them violating standards during a safety inspection campaign in 2013, according to a report on the city's Maritime Safety website. It didn't specify the Eastern Star's violations.

Hence, access to the accident site was blocked by police and paramilitary troops stationed along the Yangtze embankment.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team